Method of alkylating cyclic compounds



Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES METHOD OF AIKYLATING cxouc COMPOUNDS Boris Malishev, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to Shell Development Company, San Francisco, Call! a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application December 2, 1933, Serial N0. 700,752

Clalms.

This invention relates to the treatment of organic compounds for converting them by means ofphosphorus pentoxide into substances having boiling temperatures higher than those of the 5 initial compounds and is particularly directed to the method for the manufacture of synthetic hydrocarbonaceous materials from unsaturated and/or substituted hydrocarbons, such as alkyl and aralkyl halides or mercaptans by "condensing them with cyclic compounds which may be carbocyclic or heterocyclic.

It is the object of this invention to provide means for introducing organic side chains into cyclic nuclei.

While a large number of agents are known to possess theproperty of promoting the con-- densation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, or of unsaturated hydrocarbons with aromatichydrocarbons, such, for example, as concentrated sulfuric acid, anhydrous A1013, etc., their use normally involves certain dimculties (formation of objectionable sludges, rapid exhaustion of the contact agent, etc.),' which make practical applications of the methods employing such agents quite unattractive and sometimes entirely 'pr0- hibitive.

I have discovered that under certain temperature and pressure conditions anhydrous phosphorous pentoxide (P205) exhibits excellent catalytic activity when present in a mixture of certain organic substances, especially hydrocarbons. This catalytic activity of phosphorus pentoxide is peculiar .inthat when this substance is present in a mixture of unsaturated organic 35 compounds and aromatic hydrocarbons the speed of mutual polymerization of the unsaturated compounds is far slower than the speed of catalytic condensation of unsaturated compounds 'with aromatic hydrocarbons, so that the intro- 40 duction of sidechains into the carbocyclic. nuclei (alkylation) takes place in preference to polymerization among olefines, for example, and without accompanying substantial polymerization of olefines.

45 the well known monoand polycyclic compounds, as benzene, naphthalene, anthracene and their homologues, etc., termed aromatic compounds, all of which may be further substituted.

Some of the heterocyclic organic compounds,

50 such as analogues and/or homologues of pyridine,

5 quinoline and thiophenes may also be looked upon as having cyclic nuclei capable of being alkylated by the method of this invention.

Suitable unsaturated compounds comprise sec- 55 ondary and. tertiary olefines, diolefines, acetylene, or other organic compounds capable of direct addition of halogen, such as unsaturated ethers, ketones, aldehydes, organic acid anhydrides, ,theirmixtures, solutions, suspensions, emulsions, 60 etc. In lieu thereof one may employ saturated Suitable cyclic compounds are and/or unsaturated aliphatic or aralkyl halides, or mercaptans of any character.

I have found that phosphorus pentoxide, while being an active polymerizing catalyst, is not corrosive, does not form objectionable reaction by- 5 products and its activity can be conveniently controlled.

My process renders itself asa highly useful a means for preparing synthetic products, such as; high grade motor fuels, by condensing aromatic 10 hydrocarbons, such as benzene, toluene or its homologues, etc., with substantially purc olefines, such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, amylene, etc., singly or combined, or with comparatively complex mixtures, such as cracked l5 distillates or cracked vapors or gases or with hydrocarbon fractions predominantly comprising olefines containing the same number of carbon atoms to the molecule. It may also be used for preparing substantially pure chemical com- 20 pounds.

While the process of this invention 'may be used for treating vapors, comprising cyclic and unsaturated organic compounds, by passing them through amass of P205 supported on a suit- 25 able carrier, I prefer to practice my treating method by suspending a quantity of finely divided P205 in a liquid, which may be the mixture to be treated, containing said organic compounds; or P205 may be suspended in a, liquid which is one of the substances to be treated, such as a mixture of cyclic compounds, while the other, such as olefines, is introduced in vapor state into this P205 suspension and thus caused to react with the liquid substance. In another alternative form of my invention I may suspend P205 in an auxiliary, liquid which may or may not take part in the reaction promoted by P205,

but whose purpose is to serve as a carrier for P205; the reacting substances, which may be 40 olefines and aromatic hydrocarbons, are thenintroduced into the suspension and are caused to react by applying heat and pressure to the mixture; as an auxiliary liquid I prefer to employ one which acts as a solvent for the reacting sub- L stances and whic may or may not be readily separated from the reaction product. Gasoline,

kerosene or stove oil may be used, for example,

in treating light olefines, aromatic hydrocarbons,

or their mixtures, or cracked vapors or gases,

for production of synthetic gasoline or lubricating oils, or other products.

Although it is possible to effect the alkylation of cyclic organic compounds, by using P205 alone as catalyst, I have found that similarly to my process described in the Patent No. 1,914,953,

it is advantageous, when suspending P205 in a liquid, to employ supplemental refining agents,

apparently having peptizing eifect on the P205 suspension. Among such supplemental refining go agents may be mentioned oxidized mineral oils or bitumens, such as asphalt, coal tar pitch, wood tar pitch, hardwood pitch, etc., which contain organic oxy compounds, also aldehydes, ketones and salts of organic acids, comprising such compounds as benzophenone, copper oleate, copper acetate, copper naphthenate, aromatic nitrocompounds, etc. In lieu or in conjunction with the aforementioned supplemental refining agents may be used metallic halides, such as CuClz, Fea, SbCl2, etc. V

I have also found that in order to stabilize P205 suspensions which may or may not contain supplemental refining agents mentioned above, it is very beneficial to incorporate into these suspensions a relatively small quantity of a stabilizing agent having the effect of a protective colloid; among such agents are lamp black, fullers earth, finely divided silica, etc.

In carrying out my invention in practice, I oper'ate my process within the temperature range of 150-300 C., or thereabouts, and under moderate pressures usually not exceeding about 50 atmospheres gauge (about 750 lbs/sq. in.) although higher pressures may be employed. The general rule applicable in the reactions of this type,. that an increase either in the reaction temperature or in pressure, or in the concentration of the catalyst, favors the polymerizing activity of a catalyst, provides a variety of means for regulating the progress of polymerization of unsaturated hydrocarbons or substitute derivatives.

The following illustrative examples are intended to demonstrate more specifically some of the applications of this invention:

I. A stream of ethylene was introduced, under a. pressure of about 27 atmospheres gauge (400 lbs/sq. in.), into a mixture of 50 gms. of P205, 25 gms. lamp black, 100 gms. cresol and 780 gms. of benzene. The temperature of the reacting mixture was maintained at about 250 C. for 15 minutes, while stirring. The obtained products were:

- Percent by volume Unreacted benzene"; 1.6 Monoethyl benzene 23.1 Isomers of diethyl benzene 42.3 Isomers of triethyl benzene 24.4 Isomers of tetra and higher ethyl benzenes 8.5

Percent by volume Unreacted isobutylene 3.3 Unreacted benzene 20.7 Monobutyl benzene 47.9 Dibutyl benzen 17.0 Higher butyl benzenes 11.0

III. A stream of ethylene was introduced under a pressure of 40 atmospheres into a mixture of 40 gms. P205, 20 gms. lamp black, 5 gms. cresol and 828 gms. Borneo light distillate high in aromatic hydrocarbons. The temperature of the reacting mixture was maintained at about225 C. for 15 minutes while stirring. Theincrease of liquid products due to polymerization of ethylene with aromatics was 20%. The liquid (m distillation gave a colorless, sweet motor fuel and an oil with a viscosity in the range of lubricating oils.

IV. 250 cc. of cracked distillate which analyzed about 80% olefines and boiled between 40 and 87 C. was mixed with 250 cc. of benzene, 25 gms. P205, 15 gms. lamp black and 3 gms. cresol. The temperature of the reacting mixturewas maintained at about 225 C. for 15 minutes while stir-' ring. The product obtained gave on distillation 400 cc. of a 225 C. end point gasoline of excellent qualities and high anti-knock value and 50 cc. of a lubricating oil having viscosity of a cylinder oil.

V. A lubricating oil was treated with benzene and P205 in the manner described in Example IV. The gum and sludge forming olefines and unsaturated hydrocarbons were thus converted into stable hydrocarbons. Such a product is then valuable for the manufacture of oils with high resistance against sludging and oxidation, as for instance is required for transformers and turbines.

VI. A lubricating oil was treated was P205 and ethylene in the manner described in Example III. The condensation of ethylene and aromatics formed alkylated products with flatter viscositytemperature curve. The resulting oil therefore was found to have improved viscosity-temperature curve as expressed by a. higher viscosity index according to Dean and Davis.

VII. A mixture of 160 gms. ethyl mercaptans, 250 gms. benzene, 25 gms. P205, 10 gms. lamp black and 0.5 cc. of cresol was heated for two hoursat 300 C. in an autoclave under pressure. The treated product was distilled and 35 gms. of monoethyl benzene obtained according to the reaction dium, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, and maintaining a continuous stream of a hydrocarbon mixture containing oleiines, contacting and intermingling the two streams in regulated proportion and, or while, passing the commingled stream: at a regulated rate through a zone maintained under conditions of reaction temperature and pressure, separating the products of reaction from the catalytic mass, supplying fresh hydrocarbons to be treated to the reaction zone and recycling at least a portion of the recovered catalytic mass throughthe reaction zone. 'Countercurrcnt or concurrent contact of the materials may be resorted to either in the vapor, liquid or mixed phases.

, The process is carried out in a substantially anhydrous system so as to avoid any unnecessary loss of P205.

While I have in the foregoing described in some detail the prefered embodiment of my invention and some variants thereof, it will be understood that this is only for the purpose of making the invention more clear and that the invention is not to be regarded as limited to the details 'of operation described, nor is it dependent upon the soundness of accuracy of the theories which I have advanced as to the reasons for the advantageous results attained.

I claim as my invention:

1. In the process for introducing a side chain being alkylated, the steps comprising adding to the cyclic compound a cracked gasoline distillate consisting predominantly of olefins, and reacting the resulting mixture with substantialy anhydrous P205 at a temperature between about 150 to 300 C.

2. In the process of alkylating aromatic hydrocarbons the steps of introducing a normally gaseous olefine under superatmospheric pressure inthe resulting mixture with substantially anhydrous P205 at a temperature between 150 and 300 C.

20 4. In the process of treating a hydrocarbon oil containing members oi the group consisting of cyclic hydrocarbons capable of alkyiation and oleflns, said members being capable of reacting with each other in the presence of an alkylating reagent under alkylating conditions one of said members being present in an amount insuflicient appreciably to react with the other, the steps comprising adding a substantial quantity of the other member to the said 011 and reacting the resulting mixture with substantially anhydrous P205 at a temperature between about 150 to 300 C.

5. In the process of introducing a side chain into the nucleus of a cyclic compound capable of being alkylated, the steps of adding to the cyclic compound another compound containing an oieflnic double bond, and reacting the resulting mixture with substantially anhydrous P206 at a temperature between about 150 to-300" C.

BORIS MAI-IBHEV. so 

